Table of Contents
   Prefacep. xiii
   "If You Break Your Leg, Don't Come Running to Me!" (Spring and Summer)
      "Run between the raindrops-you won't get so wet!"p. 3
      "Stay away from the windows during a thunderstorm!"p. 4
      "No swimming for an hour after lunch-you'll cramp up!"p. 6
      "Remember, there's a chemical in the pool that turns pee blue-so we'll all know!"p. 8
      "You can still get sunburned on a cloudy day, you know!"p. 9
      "Was the nail you stepped on rusty? You'll get tetanus!"p. 13
   "Put On a Sweater, I'm Cold!" (Autumn and Winter)
      "Don't touch your Halloween candy until we get it checked out!"p. 17
      "Close the damn door! Are you frying to heat the whole outdoors?"p. 19
      "I'll bring you some chicken soup, you'll feel better!"p. 30
      "Every day is Children's Day!"p. 5
      "Feed a cold, starve a fever!"p. 29
      "I don't care if we're indoors, I hear thunder. Out of the pool!"p. 10
      "Don't run around barefoot, you'll get worms!"p. 11
      "Bundle up or you'll catch a cold!"p. 21
      "Don't eat snow-it'll make you sick!"p. 24
      "Stay away from the Christmas poinsettia! The leaves are poisonous."p. 25
      "Put on a hat-most of your body heat escapes through your head!"p. 23
   "Don't Make Me Get the Other Thermometer!" (Sickness unto Barf)
      "You know what's good for that? Castor oil!"p. 31
      "Don't hold in a sneeze, you'll hurt your ears!"p. 33
      "You're better off catching chicken pox now-go play with your sick cousin!"p. 34
      "Nope, nothing but soda! It'll settle your stomach."p. 36
   "Don't Pick at That!" (Bumps and Bruises)
      "You need hydrogen peroxide on that!"p. 41
      "I'll blow on the cut, if II feel better!"p. 42
      Take off the Band-Aid and let the cut air out!"p. 43
      "Big kids don't cry!"p. 44
      "It might be a concussion-we need to make sure you don't fall asleep!"p. 45
      "If your nose is bleeding, don't lean your head back!"p. 46
      "When the scab itches, that means it's getting better!"p. 47
      "Don't you dare pop that blister!"p. 48
      Those are just growing pains!"p. 49
   "Look Both Ways Before You Cross the Street!" (Grievous Bodily Harm)
      "Never run with scissors!"p. 53
      "Don't play with plastic bags-you'll suffocate!"p. 54
      "Stand in the middle of the escalator or you might get sucked under!"p. 56
      "Don't talk to strangers!"p. 57
      "Don't drop a coin from here-it'll fall so fast someone could get hurt!"p. 60
      "Watch out for those kiddie drugs that 'pushers' give out near schools!"p. 61
      "If you crack your knuckles, you'll get arthritis!"p. 63
      "Always wear a helmet when you ride a bike!"p. 64
      "Never play around refrigerators-you'll get trapped inside!"p. 66
      "You're too young to lift weights. If II stunt your growth!"p. 67
      "You Don't Know Where That's Been!" (Things Not to Put in Your Mouth)
      "Don't eat your boogers, ifs bad for you!"p. 71
      "If you swallow watermelon seeds, they'll grow in your stomach!"p. 72
      Those silica gel packets in pill bottles are poisonous!"p. 73
      "Swallowed gum sits in your stomach undigested for seven years!"p. 75
      "Don't suck helium out of those balloons, it kills brain cells!"p. 77
      "Apple seeds are poisonous!"p. 79
      Thumb sucking is bad for you!"p. 80
   "You'll Eat It and You'll Like It!" (Mealtime Misinformation)
      "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"p. 85
      "Ifs okay, just pick it up and eat it. Five-second rule!"p. 87
      "Eat everything on your plate, there are children starving in Africa!"p. 88
      "Eat your crusts, that's where the vitamins are!"p. 90
      "No snacks, you'll ruin your dinner!"p. 91
      "Dinner is not a race! Chew each bite thirty times!"p. 92
      "No double-dipping, you'll spread germs!"p. 94
      "Stay out of the cookie dough, you'll get worms!"p. 95
      "Stop opening the door and peeking in the oven! All the heat goes out!"p. 97
      "Sugar rots your teeth!"p. 98
   "Finish Your Milk!" (And Other Drinking Problems)
      "You need eight glasses of water every day!"p. 103
      "No soda! The sugar always makes you hyper!"p. 105
      "Coffee will stunt your growth!"p. 106
      "ItÆs too hot for milk, if II curdle in your stomach!"p. 107
      "Quit shaking your pop cans, you'll make a mess!"p. 108
      "Don't chew your ice, ifs bad for your teeth!"p. 110
   "I Told You to Go Before We Left the House!" (Bathroom Badgering)
      "Put down the lid before you flush! You're spreading bacteria everywhere!"p. 115
      "Wash your hands after you use the bathroom!"p. 117
      "Light a match in there, it'll get rid of the smell!"p. 118
      "Give your teeth a good hard brushing!"p. 120
      "Don't swallow your toothpaste, it's bad for you!"p. 122
      "Make sure you shampoo every day!"p. 123
      "Pee on your athlete's foot in the shower!"p. 125
   "Your Face Will Freeze Like That!" (Looks and Grooming)
      "Yuck, get a Q-tip and clean out your ears!"p. 129
      "Brush your hair one hundred times every night before bed!"p. 131
      "If you pick your nose, it gets bigger!"p. 132
      "Wear your retainer or your teeth will get crooked again!"p. 133
      "If you keep wearing lip balm, your lips get 'addicted' to it!"p. 135
      "You're not fat. You're just big-boned!"p. 136
      "Wash behind your ears! You could grow potatoes back there!"p. 138
      "Don't wear someone else's glasses-ifs bad for your eyes!"p. 142
      "Ifs too dark to read in here, you'll hurt your eyes!"p. 147
      "Don't look in the microwave while ifs running!"p. 150
      "Don't look at the sun, you'll go blind!"p. 152
   "Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite!" '(The Science of Sleep)
      "Don't eat that right before bed, you'll have bad dreams!"p. 159
      "Early to bed, early to rise!"p. 163
      "Don't pick up that dirty feather!"p. 170
      "Don't feed the dog chocolate!"p. 171
      "If you touch that baby bird, its mommy will abandon it!"p. 173
      "Don't feed the ducks!"p. 174
   "It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses an Eye!" (Vision and Supervision)
      "Don't cross your eyes or they'll stay like that!"p. 141
      "You're yawning, must be bedtime!"p. 161
      "Don't give those bones to the dog!"p. 172
      "Finish your carrots, they're good for your eyesight!"p. 143
      "Never sneeze with your eyes open-your eyeballs will pop out!"p. 145
      "You're sitting too close to the TV!"p. 149
      "You'll shoot your eye out!"p. 154
      "Never wake a sleepwalker!"p. 165
   ôThis Room Is a Pigsty!" (Kids and Other Animals)
      "Don't touch ifs wings, or the butterfly will die!"p. 169
      "ItÆs against the law to kill a praying mantis!"p. 176
   "Quit Eating the Paste!" (School Days)
      "Sit up straight, ifs good for your back!"p. 179
      "Don't sniff the Magic Markers!"p. 180
      "This will go down on your permanent record!"p. 182
      'Your first answer is usually the right one!"p. 184
      "Chew on your pencil and you'll get lead poisoning!"p. 185
      "Don't draw on your skin, you'll get blood poisoning!"p. 188
   "Kids These Days!" (Technology and Modern Life)
      "Keep the fork out of the toaster or you'll get zapped!"p. 193
      "Don't yank the plug out of the wall like that!"p. 194
      "Start saving now and compound interest will make you rich!"p. 195
      "Don't flick the light switches off and on, it wastes money!"p. 198"
      "Never run the microwave empty!"p. 201
      "Keep your arms inside the car, thatÆs dangerous!"p. 202
   "Well, Life Isn't Fair!" (The Motivational Mom)
      "You are a special little snowflake!"p. 207
      "We only use 10 percent of our brains, you know!"p. 208
      "It's okay, even Einstein flunked math!"p. 211
      "Your name just makes you more special!"p. 213
      "If you're mad, just go let off some steam!"p. 214
   "What If Your Friends All Jumped off a Cliff?" (The Awkward Age)
      "If you shave there, if II just grow in thicker!"p. 219
      "Chocolate's making your skin break out!"p. 220
      "If you pick your zits, you'll get a brain infection and die!"p. 222
      "You can't use tampons. You're a virgin!"p. 223
      "Just ignore bullies and they'll leave you alone!"p. 186
      "Don't mix different types of batteries!"p. 199
      "These are the best years of your life-enjoy them!"p. 210
      "If you keep touching it, you'll get hairy palms and go blind!"p. 225
      "If you sleep on your stomach, you'll be flat-chested!"p. 226
      "Alcohol kills brain cells!"p. 227
   Acknowledgmentsp. 231
   Indexp. 233